Amalfi Coast Day Trip

What time of year?

For us it would be too far, too rushed but I suppose you could take train to Salerno (1.5 hrs) then ferry hop to Amalfi/Positano if ferries are running, otherwise there’s a bus

There's an organized Walks of Italy tour, which we decided to book - I can't give feedback yet since it isn't until June. We know it will barely scratch the surface but we really wanted a taste of the Amalfi coast and had time we could spare from the Rome days in our itinerary. We liked that all the transportation is organized for us, plus it includes traveling on the water for two legs of the day trip.

https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/amalfi-coast-tours-from-rome/

I went In May 2018. I would want the experience the quiet of sleeping and waking up there without the crowd

I took a day trip from Naples to Sorrento and Positano. I consider it a waste of a day, and one of my worst travel "mistakes," as it was a lot of travel for not much reward. These are places to be stayed in and savored, not rushed through. If I had come all the way from Rome instead of Naples, I'd have been really upset.

I know a lot of people really, really, really want to see the Amalfi Coast - not matter how far it is from the rest of their itinerary. (There's a similar phenomenon with visitors to New York City, especially foreign ones, who HAVE to go to Niagara Falls). Realize that, if you do it in a day from Rome, that's all you'll do - whizz by. Some places are fine when seen in a short visit, but to me, the Amalfi Coast is the exact opposite of a drive-by destination.

Please listen to Harold. As usual, his advice is spot on.

Thank you all for the valuable advice!

I'd make a different case than Harold to arrive at the same conclusion. One of the reasons the AC is attractive and interesting is that it is a bit out of the way. It's at least a four-seat ride each way from your hotel in Rome, and if you do it on the cheap, you might have an average 15-minute wait for each step of public transportation. Add to that how slow the non-Frecciarossa trains are, and how expensive the Frecciarossa is for walk-up, last-minute purchase, and how staggeringly crowded the local busses (and the entire place is in July!), and you have a recipe for disappointment.

A specific example: When we stayed five nights in Sorrento in MAY (where the Cirvumvesuviana drops you from Naples, where you change from Rome), every time we passed the bus stop for Positano, there were more people waiting in line that would fit on the next, half-hourly bus. That makes the average waiting time more like 45-minutes for that leg of the trip. And it must be jammed and unpleasant in that bus, with 50% of the riders having no view of the Gulf, only of the mountain-slope on the driver's side. If you come via Salerno, to eliminate one train ride, you add a change of bus in Amalfi ...

Since it hasn't been mentioned, be aware that Sorrento (which is slightly easier to get to) is not technically on the Amalfi Coast. So don't mix up visits to Sorrento (which is still no breeze from Rome) with visits to the actual "Amalfi Coast."

If this is to be your only chance to ever see the Amalfi Coast I'd consider it, but if you'll have an opportunity to be there and take more time, I'd suggest to skip it this time. We took a tour from our cruise ship stop in Naples and even from there it was rushed, but it was spectacular and is now on the bucket list for a longer stay. For me it is one of the 3 most spectacular drives I've ever been on-the other two being the Pacific Coast Highway in California and Highway #93 between Lake Louise and Jasper in Alberta. If you do go, I'd suggest finding a tour and not try to bus it or drive it on your own.

Tim: I ran into the bus crowd problem too - I keep forgetting that, but you're right, it probably contributed to my feeling I was wasting my day. I got a seat on the way from Sorrento to Positano, but had to stand on the way back. I do remember feeling, by then, that I just wanted to get back to Naples. Again, whizzing through Sorrento and Positano did not give me favorable impressions of either one, and I think if I had settled in for a few days I would have enjoyed them more.

Allan: And that's the other issue for me. I know that for many, the Amalfi Coast drive is spectacular, even more than the individual towns along it. But I found the other two roads you mentioned much more impressive. To be exact, I've been on the road from Lake Louise to the Glacier View Inn, and California coastal highway from Half Moon Bay to Carmel. Those were great. Maybe it was seeing it from a bus rather than a car (like the other two), but the Amalfi Coast drive just didn't "send" me.

Sorry to be so negative.

If you only have a day, then I agree with the suggestion to take a Freccia train to Salerno then take a FERRY to Amalfi and Positano then return to Salerno and fast train back to Rome. The ferry dock in Salerno is an easy walk from the train station. We only got on one of those SITA buses once during our 4 day stay, and that was enough. The view of the coast from the ferry is just as wonderful in my mind, especially seeing Positano from the water.

It is too bad that you really don't have time to take a bus up to Ravello from Amalfi. That was the highlight of our stay. Maybe you will see enough to compel you to return and savor the area.

Barb - which ferries are you referring to? Is there one you would recommend? Thanks in advance!

djkidd, here are the ferry schedules for the 2019 season:

https://www.naplesbayferry.com/en/t/salerno/amalfi

Use the dropdown boxes at the top to choose schedules from one location to another.
Ferries do not serve all Amalfi Coast locations or all of them when seas are too rough to do so. They also only run seasonally to some locations.

That said, trying to do the A.C. as a day trip from Rome is not something I'd personally recommend doing. There is too much in that region to do any justice to with just a part of the day that won't be spent in transit.